By the Crystal, United
by PencilGirl92
Summary: FULL SUMMARY INSIDE. Six friends, four races, one crystal. Will friends be torn apart simply because they are from different races? When the war rages, it seems inevitable. Some violence and blood.
1. Summary

It was an unlikely friendship. They knew it, too. But they didn't care. Why should they? Friends are friends, whether normal or unusual.

But as they grew, they grew farther apart. It wasn't what they wanted, but their separation was inevitable. They were different races, separated by the invisible lines that separated the land into four corners.

Childhood friends now became long-lost memories. Past neighborhoods now became unknown territories, behind enemy lines.

The wars would rage on, and on and on. Each race defending their kind.

But would these young men and women remember who they were before the war? Could they?

One central crystal seemed to be the link between the North Kingdom, the Western Land, the Kingdom of the South, and the Land to the East. Yuke, Clavat, Selkie, and Lilty tribes, respectively.

With one sole link to that large crystal that stood, the only hope to all the lands. Where the story of the tiny children who circled it with glee begins…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"_Round the crystal, round we go_

_From the lands that we well know!_

_Circle till we meet once more_

_Home again and safe and sure!_"

A Lilty girl, a Yuke boy, Clavat girl and boy, Selkie girl and boy. They came from different areas around the crystal, linked hands, and circled, singing their song.

"_Circle round and sing the song!_

_Let it ring out, far and long._

_Countries to the north and east_

_And south and west, we'll never cease!_"

Their chant of friendship, round the crystal they went, the six of them. The Selkie twins hopped and skipped, the Clavat friends laughed as they sang. The Lilty jumped up to reach the others' heights. The Yuke swayed his head.

"_Lilty, Yuke, and Clavats too_

_Plus Selkie twins, a joyous crew._

_We run 'round this crystal here_

_To show, though far, our homes are near!_"

They were friends, best of friends, no matter what the others thought. The tall Yukes looked down at them with scorn. They whispered among themselves in their scholarly voices that such a relationship between the very different races was unhealthy for the young ones. The Lilties scoffed at the acceptance of the other races. Has she no Lilty Pride? Why bring herself down to such a level? The Selkies turned their backs to the group. Betrayal was their conclusion. Selkies take care of their own, but here were two siding with their enemies. Why link themselves to the other races? The Clavats shook their heads. They wished the children wouldn't put themselves in so much danger. War was imminent, and the Clavats feared for them, all six of them.

.

Miach looked up at the trees, so tall, so prominent. It seemed that everything was bigger than she, yet in her was instilled the Lilty honor, the pride of her race. She watched as a group of men trained with weapons. "March! March! One, two, three, four! March! March! This is our world! March! March! One, two, three, four! March! March! Lilty creed's war!"

She had heard such a saying many times in her lessons. "We Lilties swear by our creed / to take the world from the weak. / The Lilty way will be enforced. / Without so much as guilt or remorse!." She repeated it to herself. What did it mean? She had no idea. Who was the weak? What was even the definition of weak? Or strong for that matter? What made someone weak or strong. She didn't know. But to her race, all of them were strong, so it mustn't be hard to be so.

She took her gil that her mother had given her and went to the store. There it was, the fire ring. At least, that's what Dhiren called it. The tall Yuke boy, twice her height, had spoke of it. She wanted to give it to him as a gift. Since hers was the only store known to have it. It cost her more than what her mother had given her, but luckily she had more gil with her. It must be special, just as Dhiren said. She clutched it in her gloved hand and walked to the far western part of her land, towards the great crystal that loomed in the distance.

.

Dhiren closed his book and stood, bringing another to his desk. His father sat in the next room, studying his own literature. Dhiren's new book, however, was hand-written. He took up his pen and marked down more letters and symbols. Celerina and Uday were still very much mysterious. Their unnatural language was a barrier to Dhiren and the others, but his way of translating was coming along. Through sign language-like ways and teaching them the familiar tongue, they were able to communicate. Their sentences were broken, but understood.

Dhiren was enchanted by their second language. The Selkie symbols that they wrote in the sand were extraordinary, like works of art. Dhiren was one to try to understand everything, even if it took him forever and a day. His knowledge was strong, equally as strong as his magic. The magic he had been taught since he could walk was part of Yuke tradition.

All the lessons he could be taught, book and force, writing and action. He knew he found relaxation with his friends at the crystal. The crystal he gazed at now through his small window. He took the book and walked out of the house, without a word, eyes focused, never leaving, that crystal on the south part of the land.

.

Celerina and Uday ran, back and forth between the houses, beckoning the others to come out. Every Selkie was as agile as they were. Their identical blue hair blue through the rushed air as they ran, skipping over the stones in the river, which glimmered the same silvery blue as their eyes. Furs decorated with feathers and colorful threads wrapped around their arms, waist, and ankles. It was customary. It showed the power of the Selkies to display such luxuries.

They grasped hands and ran through the shallow creek that came out of the river. Their bare feet sank into the sand beneath and were tickled by the vegetation. Celerina laughed as Uday kicked the water at her. They were never so happy as when they were together. Celerina ran out of the creek, Uday chasing her in good fun. They giggled as they ran.

The crystal seemed to approach them as they ran forward, north. There was no more water, but they didn't mind. More than being together, they loved being with all the others, the others who were just as much like family as they were to each other. They hurried on, closer and closer to that crystal.

.

Frederick looked out over the tall balcony. He peered into the distance, searching for his friend, Chessa. His blonde hair flipped up at the top and down at his neck and his dark brown eyes scanned the kingdom, his kingdom. There was a tap on his shoulder. He turned, startled. "How did you do that?"

Chessa giggled in front of him, her long, dark brown hair tied at the end and settled neatly under her cap. "Light on my feet, Prince!" Frederick gazed into her dark forest-green eyes. "Well? What is the plan for today?"

"Same as always, Chessa." The young prince lowered the rope ladder and started down. Plans were meaningless to the young prince. He had dealt with a planned schedule his whole life. His only escape from it was his dear friend, Chessa. "You coming?"

Chessa was right behind him and they ran from the courtyard and into the town. But they had no more interest in that than the people living there. They walked towards the easternmost area, towards the shining blue crystal that graced the horizon of each kingdom. Chessa was not his only friend, as should be expected. They moved on, to the others that were pledged as friends forever.

.

They were each no older than ten, yet their knowledge was broad, thanks to Dhiren, the knowledgeable Yuke. They met at the crystal as always, talking and laughing together. Drawing in the sand to tell stories of lore. Celerina took a stick and drew in her language. Uday sat and showed the group his carved figurines, ones that he was taught to make by his mother. Chessa took out a small wind instrument and began to blow into it. Miach gave Dhiren the ring he so desperately wanted.

They stayed together until the day was done. The sun was setting, soaking the world into a dim twilight. The friends linked hands and circled the crystal. "_Round the crystal round we go…_" Their voices rang out once again across the four lands. The people in the towns went along with their lives, unaware of the celebration of friendship the six were putting on. "_Circle round and sing the song! …_" Even the Selkies understood the meaning of these verses. Friendship, belonging. It was all about them and "_To show, though far, our homes are near!_"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Good morning!" Chessa jumped right in Dhiren's face, startling him.

"Aren't you a little old to be taking a nap?" Miach teased.

"I was simply resting my eyes," was his defense. The others rolled their own.

The Selkie twins and the Clavat girl were playing some music. Uday hit his hand against the tambourine as Chessa blew into her instrument. Celerina danced along side them, in the familiar Selkie way. Miach waddled with her own dancing. "You must teach me how to move like that!" she gasped for her breath.

"Simple for me, a Selkie," Celerina spoke, brokenly. "Agile we are."

"Indeed," the Yuke nodded as he stood. "They have more agility and speed than we ever could hope to gain. Especially such a stout young Lilty as yourself."

Miach pouted and crossed her arms.

"But you dance good," Celerina continued, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Good beat along with tambourine I play," Uday added.

"I guess though we are different, we may enjoy the same things just as well."

The six of them danced in their own unique way to the song they played in perfect harmony. They were one, though so different and well aware of it.

After the song, Celerina and Miach laughed together, exchanging stories and pictures drawn in the dirt. Frederick went over to Uday. "The Selkie tongue. Will you teach me more?"

"Yes, yes!" Dhiren added. "Do, please do!"

"Such interest in our culture. Why?"

"It's different!" was Dhiren's reason. "So interesting to study!"

"And you?" He turned to Frederick. "Why does one not learning care Selkie ways?"

"Because it explains who you are. I want to understand more about my good friend."

The answer made Uday smile. Though a powerful heir to be ruler, he cared about his different friend. "Come. I draw on ground old saying of Selkie. Means 'We come from sea, and sea we will return' in your tongue." He wrote it on the ground. Dhiren intently copied the script and wrote underneath its translation. Chessa joined the other girls in their laughter.

Uday looked up at his sister. "Said that Selkie take care of own. Said we to watch over each other. I take very seriously teachings of elders. They say Selkie hold on to identity, against the other races. That why I share with you our way. So other races know who we are. Celerina is hope in Selkie village. She my little sister, though we twins. I swear to protect her." He spoke now more to himself than to the others. Still, Frederick listened intently. "Sister is only light in dark future before us. War. I see now it come."

"War?" Miach looked up suddenly. "What war?" In her head the words rang out: "March! March! Lilty creed's war!" "What is war?"

"Violence against others. A battle." Dhiren was still scribbling down notes in his book.

"If only there could be peace. I never understood why war has to happen." Chessa was solemn. "Don't you think the races can get along like us?"

"Hope they can," Celerina whispered. "Not hard."

"Not hard at all," Uday added. "Why struggle with happiness? Peace bring happiness. Are I right?"

"Of course!" Frederick stood, fist in air. "And I will do everything in my power to prevent a war! I am the future king of the Clavats!"

"Yukes ought to know the foolishness of war!" Dhiren added. "I am almost certain there will be no attack initiated by our forces!"

Miach fidgeted. Still the army's chants rang through her mind. "March! March! One, two, three, four!" War was coming, and the ten-year-olds had no chance of stopping it.

.

"_Round the crystal, round we go_

_From the lands that we well know!_

_Circle till we meet once more_

_Home again and safe and sure!_"

Would they be safe? None of them dared to question it aloud, but they all asked themselves. Their homes were separate, antagonized toward each other. If their home was against their friends, was it home at all?

"_Circle round and sing the song!_

_Let it ring out, far and long._

_Countries to the north and east_

_And south and west, we'll never cease!_"

No, their friendship will never end. They'll stay strong and united. That was their vow to each other, through this chant around the crystal. They were not enemies; they were forever friends.

"_Lilty, Yuke, and Clavats too_

_Plus Selkie twins, a joyous crew._

_We run 'round this crystal here_

_To show, though far, our homes are near!_"

All connected by that central crystal. They knew its significance. They stayed together. Everyday they continued to meet at the crystal, and everyday they sang the song as their goodbye.

.

And the Great War began…


	4. Chapter 3

**PART 1** Chapter 3

The Lilty army was a sight to behold, and very well should have been. Though small, these warriors had started the Great War, a war of merely pride. Miach watched as more soldiers marched out. The girl was now twelve and had been training in the art of fighting herself. Her strength was that of any other Lilty, and her pride had been conditioned well. But in her heart, she knew that this war was wrong. Fighting to show off power and take the world, that had to be evil, didn't it? And yet, her father, a strong, brave, likeable Lilty was to be a leader of part of that crew. Her heart was torn. The Selkies were right. War was here, foreseen two years ago.

.

The Clavats prepared only to defend. They did not plan to give into the Lilties. Frederick watched as his mother and father arranged the army, a small number of warriors sent only to make peace. The Lilties would not hurt them if they remained neutral. "This is the way one must fight, defense is our only tactic. There is no need for violence." The King was explaining the Clavat way to his son and heir to the throne. "When you rule, my son, you must rule with the dignity that comes with being in charge of so many people's lives. We mustn't waste such manpower on pride. Let the Lilties have their tantrums. We will be no part of it." And they weren't. The Lilties agreed to let them alone, so long as they didn't stand in their way.

.

The Yukes, however, set up a force to be reckoned with. Magical prowess was more than a match for the Lilties' brute force. They were confident that no one could penetrate their barrier of a dozen or so Yukes blasting magicite at them. The ring on Dhiren's finger would be a great help to his race, yet it would be used against the very people who provided it, irony he wouldn't very much have liked. He fiddled with it, but his mind took over. It would be illogical not to use it. His race needed the fire magic, and to have it unlimited was a blessing he would not deny. He ran to the ranks and stood, steadfast, against the army he knew would come soon.

.

The Selkies, though quick, were weak. They knew it, so they made up for it in numbers. They brought anyone and everyone who was a mature enough age to fight. That included Uday and Celerina. They took up their bows and went to the back lines. They had little training, but there was not much time. The Lilties would come upon them at any moment. They marched onward, the older, more able warriors in front with rackets. "Owta! Owta!" (Onward!) Their calls were just as rousing as the Lilties were.

.

The six friends met once more at the crystal. They were hesitant, unsure, and somewhat angry that their vows had all been broken. "Frederick, prince." Uday's language was more matured now, two years later. "I thank you for—"

"It's not a problem. We Clavats are a peace-loving race," the prince shook it off. "And besides that, it wasn't my ruling, though I very much agree with it. I am not king yet."

"Why do you thank him for not participating?" Miach asked accusingly. "Your own race is jumping at the opportunity to fight us!"

"We do not agree with your readiness to rule the world!" Celerina retorted. "What are you, evil masterminds?"

"No! We simply live by the Lilty creed! We have Lilty pride!"

"Stop fighting, please. We cannot allow this war to break us!" Frederick tried in vain to quell the anger that stirred their hearts.

"Our races will not go down easily!" Dhiren stated. "You Lilties with your great pride and your obscene ways of forcing your will! Brute force will not get you into our home!"

"Stop fighting!" Chessa now tried. "We are friends. We vowed we shall ever be!"

Uday and Celerina turned away, starting back home. "Wait!" Frederick stopped them. He ran up and put a hand on Uday's shoulder. "You always spoke about the Selkie way. Taking care of each other. Am I right?"

"Yes," was his curt reply.

"Family, you said family was the most important thing to you. You must protect those you call your family? Your home?"

He was silent.

"Was it not once you called this crystal your home? Us your family?" He turned to the others. "Are we not bound in a friendship that is as strong as, if not stronger than, family?"

"He's right. And that's what makes him a great royal prodigy!" Chessa exclaimed. "Keep our hearts together as one. This crystal will forever be our guide!" The six of them looked up at this "guide." "It shall remind us where our loyalties lie. This is our home!"

"Home." The others gazed into the crystal. "Home." They all spoke as one. They were one. Nothing would change that.

"I'm sorry. I truly don't understand why the Lilties are acting this way," Miach was the first to speak.

"My race is proud as well. They do not want to fail." Uday explained. "And they forced this war upon us."

"Yes. We too have to fight." Celerina sighed. "But we know in our hearts that it is not right."

"We only defend." Dhiren spoke now. "We mean you no harm."

"And we will stay neutral." Frederick nodded.

"The Lilties trust us not to interfere." Chessa added.

The six of them shook hands, hugged, smiled. Their friendship had bent, but not broken. The Selkies were the first to leave, for they had to join the ranks. Frederick was next, for he had to return to his duties. The other three remained, staring at the crystal, praying that their friendship would stay in their hearts. "Though far, our homes are near." Chessa breathed. And the breeze took the breath away, up past the crystal, and separated into each land.

.

Separated the friends into their own realms…


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"March! March! One, two, three, four! March! March! Know what war's for!"

"Pride!" The Lilty men called out together in unison. "Honor! Pride! Honor!" Over and over again they shouted.

Miach watched as her father joined the ranks, ceremoniously entrusted to his leadership of one of the smaller groups, now two years after the war had started. "Is war really about pride, mama?" The fourteen-year-old looked up at her somewhat taller mother as the soldiers marched away.

"Sometimes." She took her by the hand. "War is our way of showing the world that we can do whatever we want. We show off our power. We conquer anyone who will oppose."

Miach pondered her mother's words for the rest of the day, lying awake in bed as she stared up at the ceiling of her small hut's room. "Lilty's creed. Pride of war." Those were the lessons she had always learned in her youth. If that was the Lilty way, why was she not a part of it?

She stepped outside silently. It was dark except for the glistening stars above. "What are we but inhabitants of a land mass? Even Lilties are different from one another." She looked to the west, where the crystal was prominent, even in the darkness. "We all live on the same earth. What makes this corner separate from the others?" She sighed and sat down, against a small tree. "_From the lands that we well know_…" She closed her eyes and was cast into a deep sleep.

.

"Our pride is great! We'll fight back!" Uday and Celerina called.

Miach stood with her father, spear in hand. "We will conquer you!" They countered.

Leading Selkies behind them, the twins charged. Other Lilties followed Miach and her father. The battle waged on, longer than Miach could have imagined it would. Then, an arrow pierced through her father's armor. "Daddy, no!" She cried, but he fell and seemed to bleed into the ground. The crystal in the distance seemed to disappear as she screamed out her own battle cry and charged at the twins.

Miach sat up, gasping. She was blinded by the unexpected light of the morning sun. "Only a dream. But it was so real." She looked at her hands. "Anything could happen now. I can't just sit by." She stood. "What if that dream was a warning? What if it was planted in my mind for a reason? What if…" With a gasp, she started running to the army's lines. "What if daddy's in danger?"

.

That dream was a premonition, she was sure of it. A terrible warning of what the future could hold for a loved one. But when she arrived at the camp, all was at peace. The army hadn't even advanced yet. "Miach, my daughter. What are you doing here?"

"I want to help. I want to make sure no one is killed."

"This is war, my dear. Sacrifice is impossible to avoid."

"Then I want to help the best I can! Let me help heal!"

"Very well. Stay behind our lines, here at the base. You will stay safe that way."

And she obeyed. There at the camp she stood, helping the injured when the time came. Soon, her father took his army, along with another group, to start moving into the Selkie territory. "Be careful, father!" He promised he would. She waved to him, then continued to her work.

It was just as she had dreamt, her father against the Selkies. What did this mean? Could her dream come true? She shook away her horrid thoughts and tried to focus on her jobs. As if to reassure herself, she glanced up, where she could clearly see the blue crystal against the equally blue sky. She smiled. It was just a dream. Nothing would happen to her father, so long as that shining hope stood on the horizon.

.

The Lilty army advanced in each corner of the land…


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"They are advancing!" the king was in a state of panic. "Send more troops! This may not go as peaceably as planned!"

Frederick watched, horrified, as the men lined up for combat. "Move out!" the leader commanded, and they marched to the far outstretches of the land. They came across the lone ranch, the dirt-brown acres surrounding a small house. The commander knocked on the hut's door. "Open, in the name of the king!"

Chessa opened the door wide. "What service can I provide, sir?"

"We need horses! For speed and endurance."

"Yes, sir." Chessa was always loyal to authority, but she hesitated slightly upon this command. She knew it was for the war. The war that she thought the Clavats would not fight. "What had happened?" she mumbled to herself as she watched the soldiers march away. She knew whom she had to ask.

.

"I am not king yet!" Frederick seemed frustrated. "Don't ask me why things are the way they are!"

"But don't you have any power? These soldiers will end up killing the other races' armies!" Chessa grabbed his wrist. "That includes the twins!"

Frederick shook her hand away. "I don't have any power! Look at me, I'm still just a kid!"

"You are more than old enough to speak your mind, Frederick." Chessa turned away. "That's who I always thought you were. I guess I was wrong."

Frederick sighed and clenched his fist. "I hate feeling so helpless."

"Then do something. You cannot stand around when you have an opportunity to change the world!" Chessa turned her head slightly to speak. "I believe in you. And so do the others! You're our best friend. Help us stop the fights!"

.

"We are sending the troops out now to try and make peace with the Lilties." The king was explaining. "Two years of war has already passed. Let's not make it longer." The queen nodded. Frederick did as well.

"Two years is two too many," he spoke quietly. "No creed or honor is worth this." He left the room, standing tall on the balcony, now an able heir of fourteen. "What do they hope to gain?"

.

"Pride! Honor! Pride! Honor!" The chants rang out, even as the Clavat peacemakers approached.

"What is your command, Lilties?"

"Complete rule over these lands!"

"We have a set kingdom, a destined ruler each generation."

"Then the war will continue!"

Hesitation, then, "Then we will negotiate as well. Let us live in peace, in our own ways. No slavery, no cruel ruling."

"We will spare you if you agree to cooperate."

"Then we agree."

.

And with that, the war was over for the Clavats. How simple it seemed. Yet Frederick had lost his princehood. And his father had lost his kingdom. "All is well so long as peace remains," were the king's wise words.

"Peace, at last." Frederick could not deny the benefits. However, very soon, a problem came to his attention.

"We cannot help the others. We cannot invite them into our territory, as we previously could." Chessa was reading from an old document. "That's the gist of it."

"But what if the others need our help? Or are looking for peace?" Frederick sat with a huff. "It's so helpless. I want the Lilties to make peace with the others! But the Selkies are too proud, just as proud as the Lilties. And the Yukes are too stubborn, they want tradition."

"No, they just like their way better." Chessa smiled. "Remember when Dhiren would tell us—"

"'Yukes are the only beings that are always correct. Even when wrong, there is a hint of truth.'" They spoke together and laughed.

Frederick sighed. "I miss him. And the others." Instinctively, they looked to the crystal. "Do you think they're alright?"

"I think they can take care of themselves."

"Chessa…"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think we'd be like if we all didn't meet that one day at the crystal?"

"I won't open my mind to it. I'm glad we met. I'm glad we are the way we are. Nothing can change my mind. I wouldn't trade our friendship with the others for the world."

"I'd give my life before I gave up my friendship."

"I agree."

Frederick tilted his head in thought. "Then why let these stupid rules stop us? What's the worst they can do?"

"You're right! If our friends need help, we should be there at the crystal, waiting to help them. The crystal is our link. It's our own base."

He and Chessa both spoke, knowing each other's thoughts, "_Home again and safe and sure_."

.

The crystal was the refuge, if anyone would need such…


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Yuke's line stood strong against the Lilties' whole army. "Youthful one, how old are you?" one of the soldiers questioned Dhiren.

"Sixteen, sir." He did not take his eyes off the coming reinforcements.

"You have been fighting at twelve years old? Four years ago is when this war began, and you jumped in at twelve?" The man was obviously shocked. "Such loyalty."

Dhiren froze in silence. That word was not the word he would have thought to choose. "Loyalty." Where did his loyalty lie? He looked down at that small ring on his finger. Lilty merchants truly were the best of all the races, and Miach had used her own gil to give him that gift. He had wanted it to study. He wanted it to practice his magic. But now look at him. He winced underneath that metal mask. How could he turn it against her? He truly didn't want anyone to suffer.

He turned and walked back toward the kingdom, ignoring the questioning calls of his fellow soldiers. "Loyalty." He repeated in his mind. "Loyalty to my dear friend. Loyalty to life. Loyalty to…" he turned around, and sure enough that place he called home during the evenings of his youth stood tall… "that crystal of friendship." He turned back, stepping more quickly towards his house. "Our loyal friendship… our song… _Let it ring out far and long_."

.

"But the fire magicite was unseen to us until now, son!" Dhiren's father paced the floor, unable to understand the boy. "Why run now anyway? You were there for four years!"

"Yes, father. Four years of my childhood taken from me! Stolen away by war! War that is not even necessary!"

"We are not the ones who started this worthless war, if you can recall. We are merely defending ourselves!"

"Yes, I know."

The wise, tall Yuke sighed. "Yet you are right. Childhood should be embraced. It is our time to learn. Go on down to the elder's tent. Seek your lessons and childhood there."

Dhiren obeyed. He left the house and went down to the small tent. It stood alone in a barren area. He noticed that another Yuke was entering. It was Sophronia, his younger sister. "Sophronia!" he called out. She turned. "Brother, dear. I thought you were at the battle."

"I came back to reclaim my childhood."

She squeezed his arm when he arrived. "Well, come with me to the elder. He will teach us!"

They entered the tent, where the elder was sitting, his back turned to them, between small candles. "Welcome, children. Why have you come?"

"Teach us, wise one." Dhiren responded.

"Tell us a lesson for our day." Sophronia added.

The elder hummed a long ommm, then began his poetic speech,

"In thy heart,

so deep it art,

Thy soul doth shed

A light to thy head.

"Though close some be,

They fade from thee.

Though hopes shine bright,

Dark covers light.

"So thy light

Hath no more might

Than tiny child

Who sings so mild."

Dhiren shuddered at the extreme links to his life. He knew the elder had said this rhyme for him, whether or not he was aware of it. The "light to thy head" …he had no doubt it was the hope he felt of his friendship. The second stanza was quite obvious. This war was blocking out the friendship. Their lives would never be the same. The "tiny child / Who sings so mild" was nothing less than what they once were, six children, circling that light, chanting their song.

He could not deny it. Their friendship was no more.

.

Sophronia looked at him curiously as they walked home. "Are you alright, brother?"

"Quite." Though it was obvious in his shaking voice that he was not.

And even as he entered his room, his mind did not change. He sat at his desk and pulled violently at the fire ring that was on his hand ever since that day six years ago. It hurt as he tore it off of him. After a full minute of staring at it in between his fingers, he placed it in an open page of his writing book. Then, he closed it and went to bed.

Upon that page was Selkie text and its translation: "We take care of our own. Friends are family. Family is home."

.

But as the wise elder said, they have faded…


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The twin orphans stared at the tambourine that Uday always used to play. They did not speak, but felt comfort with each other. Uday was the first to break the silence, in their friends' language. "At least we have each other. The others have no one else."

"Chessa is with Frederick." Celerina corrected.

"Then my heart goes out to Dhiren and Miach."

"Do you think they even remember us?"

Uday spun around, anxious to speak against such doubt, but then he stopped short. What if Celerina's fears were true? It has been four years since their last meeting. They could have very well forgotten them.

"Uday?" his sister broke his thoughts.

"I don't know."

She sighed. "Well… I believe that the crystal will remind them."

Uday's face brightened. "You're right! It should!"

There was a knock at the door. "Uday, Celerina!" A commanding officer came in, leading them into the war.

.

"Selkies! Whan!" That was their only command. "Win!" was its translation. The twins readied their bows. They couldn't let their race down, but they didn't know how to fight. Not only because they weren't trained very well, but because they weren't willing.

"I do not wish to fight. I do not want to fight!" Celerina spoke in their friend's tongue.

"I do not either. But we must." Uday looked on into the field, where the Lilties were already slaughtering so many. "We must act quickly. Strike only those who are hurting our men, but do so in a way that will not kill them."

"We are not trained for that kind of aiming!"

"We can at least try!"

And try they did, sometimes missing, sometimes hitting critically, rarely making their targeted spot.

.

Led by Miach's father, the group of Lilties wrapped around behind their enemies. "Strike and conquer, men! Fight with all your might! No mercy!" Miach's father climbed a steep hill, arriving behind the twins. Stealthily, he advanced.

.

"Our aim is terrible, Uday." Celerina groaned. "We best not do anything." She knelt down. Meanwhile, the Lilty commander marveled at her almost flawless speech. Who knew a Selkie could learn the Lilty tongue? It was unheard of. He had much interest in this girl. "Why do the Lilties have to be so proud? Why are we even fighting?" She began to sob. "Whatever happened to _a joyous crew_?"

Uday sighed and lowered his bow. He looked out to the horizon, directly north, where the crystal was. He closed his eyes, remembering the song that his sister had quoted. "It is not fair." He turned. "It—" He stopped short. Celerina was gone. "Celerina!" He called. A scream rang from below the cliff upon which he stood. A Lilty commander was dragging a bleeding Celerina with him, back to his army. "Celerina, no!" Uday cursed in his native tongue, jumping down from the cliff.

He followed the bloodstains, through the crowd of his own people, through the battling of the Lilties, he ran, ran, ran on. His goal was in sight. He could see his sister! Then all turned black.

.

Light and hope seemed to sink into his mind's complete and utter darkness…


	9. Chapter 8

**PART 2** Chapter 8

The Selkies would not stand for the Lilties taking their pride. Yet, that's what they did, they took all the dignity they had. Everything was lost. Their people, their home, their freedom. They were enslaved by the Lilties. That was the life they had to lead now.

Uday's eyes opened to a dimly lit room. "You have awakened," an old man said in the Selkie tongue. "I thought you were dead. That Lilty had struck you pretty hard."

"I need to go." Uday sat up. "I need to find my sister!"

"That girl who was carried off?" The old man was silent for a long while.

"You saw her? Where is she? What happened?"

"She lost a lot of blood, dear boy. And she had grown limp long before you were struck down. I am sorry."

Uday broke down, his head in his hands, and cried. "No, no, no, no, no…" he wailed. "No, no, no, no, no…" He repeated his cries, endlessly.

"Shut up, boy!" a voice spoke harshly outside and struck the door. It was a Lilty, for his voice was small, and he spoke the other language.

"You terrible, terrible man!" Uday spoke in the language he learned. "You have destroyed our race! You—"

The Lilty swung open the door. "You can speak in our tongue? How can that be?"

Uday only glared at him, his face puffy and pink from his tears.

"Come with me, now!"

Uday looked back at the old man, who looked at him, both puzzled and startled.

"Heo!" Uday cried out. (Help!) But the man did not move. He just stared. He had lost the help of even his own race.

.

Miach looked uneasily at her father. "With the war over, and us ruling, what's going to happen to this world?" She asked.

"Whatever we want. That's the beauty of it!" he was joyful as he chuckled to himself.

Miach knew that this wasn't the end. The Great War would continue so long as the Selkies resisted. The Selkies. How were those guys now? Were they alright? Were they even alive? She shuddered.

"The Clavats have agreed to submit without struggle. The Yukes really don't care. And the Selkies are now enslaved! Our leader is having his way with the world! And we are tasting the fruits of our labor! Delicious, delicious fruits!"

.

Uday had never seen such filth, such gloom. The Lilty mines could not have been as bad! Yet here, in a wasteland of dirt and horror, he was placed. "You, boy, will be the mediator. You will tell these workers what I command! Do you understand?"

"Yes sir. But I won't do it." Uday did not hesitate in his rebuke. "We are not slaves to your Lilty will!" He stood strong and tall above this Lilty soldier. "We are free, and we will not—" His speech was interrupted by a snap. It was the crack of a whip on his bare back and he cried out in great pain.

"You will obey, boy!" Another Lilty stood over the now kneeling Selkie. Uday turned with his fist, but the whip cam down again, this time, across his chest. He fell on his back. The other Selkies turned and gasped. "We need a translator!"

The other soldier kicked him. "My order is this: Load the caravans with the bricks and drive them to the Selkie home. There, build a wall that no one can penetrate or pass through. Home will no longer be open to you!" He turned on his heel and left, the other Lilty following.

The Selkies helped Uday up. "Home." The word rang through his head. What had happened to that happy place? The crystal seemed so distant now.

.

And that shining hope seemed to fade further and further away…


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Childhood was lost by now. They were eighteen now, the war long past. It didn't matter. Their innocence was taken from them, stained with blood.

.

Miach stood among the soldiers. They all smiled at her, enchanted by her full-grown beauty. It was as though she grew into a woman through the war alone. Nothing else could create the gorgeous Lilty before them. Her father presented them all to the king. "This is my army. We have trained and grown stronger."

"I cannot let you go." The king shook his head resolutely. "It is too dangerous. We did not succeed two years ago, and we will not succeed today. The Yukes are strong. Their magic knows no limit in power. We must let them be."

"But, sire!"

"No! Our empire still rules. The Clavats are under our command. The Selkies are enslaved. The Yukes cooperate but are separate. Our people have conquered!"

The soldiers cheered, Miach among them.

.

Frederick looked across the kingdom. "It would have been mine." He whispered, as he had everyday since he turned eighteen. "Yes, this place would have belonged to me."

Chessa put a hand on his shoulder. "But we are at peace. And the Lilty empire is not flawed. We are safe."

Frederick put his hand on the crystal, which seemed to be fading. "It's as if it knows," he said to himself. "Everything is lost."

"Not everything. I am still with you, and we made this place a refuge, remember?"

"Yes." He looked across the place where the crystal's light shone. Tents and lean-tos lay about. He smiled, it may be empty, but one tent was filled with what really mattered.

"I'll check on the refugee," Chessa spoke casually. "Come along?"

"Of course."

.

The wall was finished. It had taken two years of intense labor, bringing the stones and bricks from the capitol to the old Selkie land. "Did you take that from within?" a Selkie asked Uday in his tongue. "Are you a fool? You'll get whipped or killed if they find out!"

"They won't find out." Uday clutched the tambourine, the only thing left of his home and his sister. He looked up at the wall, so high. He couldn't even see the crystal. "How tall it once was…" he mumbled in his friends' tongue. He felt secluded. The wall had definitely fulfilled its purpose. "Let's go, before the Lilties come hunting."

.

Dhiren filed through a large atlas. His younger sister was beside him. "Did you find it?" she inquired.

"Not yet. I don't believe it is recorded here."

"I think it is. It's unnamed, but it's there."

He kept paging through.

"Remember when you used to go off somewhere, and I would ask you where you were?"

"Yeah. I never told you, though."

"You always told me some random place. I always knew it didn't exist. Well, I always pictured you sailed away to that island. So I labeled it."

"You labeled it? What did you call it?"

"Dhiren! Don't you remember where you always told me you went? The land of magic!"

"Land of—wait a minute!"

"And you needed a special ticket of sorts to get there, and that's why I couldn't go."

"Yeah, what was it that I called it?"

The page had a picture of an island, surrounded by the blue illustration of ocean, right off the coast of the Yuke's kingdom. There, labeled in black ink in his sister's writing, was the place she had imagined him to be while he was with his friends. The place he named…

"Shella."

.

Miach followed her father obediently. He had spoke of meeting the king's son, prince of this new empire. She couldn't help but think of Frederick. This prince had taken his title from her dear friend, Frederick. She didn't know how to proceed, so she was silent as they walked down the red-carpeted halls of the castle.

"Perhaps Lilties were more worthy," she determined. She waited at the throne as her father spoke to the king.

"Hail, for the prince enters!" a guard shouted.

Miach turned, and her eyes fell upon the royal-clad boy that stood, tall and proud. Yes, tall was the correct word, for he was taller than she. She bowed as he approached. "So you are the nurse girl that helped the army?" the prince looked down at her, both figuratively and literally.

"Yes, sir." Miach stood firm.

"I suppose you couldn't very well have been an actual part of the battle."

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but I was a valuable part of the army."

The prince shrugged. "As valuable as one can be without fighting."

"Perhaps my will was not to fight! Perhaps it was to heal, to help!" She couldn't stand this boy. He was snobbish, conceited. His pride had stretched too far. "What gives you the right to have such contempt towards me?"

"I am heir to the throne." Was it that simple? Frederick was never like that. He was open to the thoughts of not only his people but also her and his other friends. He was interested in their identity, their selves. It was obvious by the way he spoke with them, questioning them about their races' ways. The Selkie script, the Yuke lore, the Lilty pride. The Lilty pride… the very thing that had gotten them into this mess, this war that had taken a toll on each friend.

.

Was friendship really that fragile…?


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dhiren dusted off the cover of the large volume. Sophronia sat and watched. He seemed so sad, but why? She couldn't understand, but she did know one thing: It started with the mention of Shella.

Earlier that day, Sophronia had asked Dhiren what Shella really was, upon seeing the book still open to that page. She knew it wasn't a real place, just a name he had to make up. "What's with the secrecy?" she had urged.

"When I would leave home, I wouldn't go to some remote island. And the place I went was definitely not filled with magic."

"Then where? Where?"

"I went towards that crystal." He had pointed to the massive jewel in the distance.

"Really? Was it beautiful?"

"Very. It used to shine with a light so grand—"

"Used to? It looks the same to me."

"It does?" Her brother had looked again, sighed, and left to his room.

Later, she had come in and asked what he would do there. And that brought them to now, where Dhiren opened the large volume to a place marked with a rusted ring.

"The fire ring! I wondered where it went."

Dhiren lifted it. "It was given to me by a dear friend I met there at the crystal."

"I get it. You met your friend there every day. But why not just meet here?"

"It's not that simple, Sophronia. My friend was a Lilty."

.

"You are a Lilty! You should be honored by such an arrangement!" Her father was red with rage.

"By heavens, I thought you'd be giddy with joy about this!" Her mother was equally shocked.

Miach stamped her feet. "But I'm not! He scorns me! He looks down upon me! Why must I—"

"You must learn to live up to his expectations." Her father placed a hand on her shoulder. "His expectations are our expectations. For he is our sovereign."

"But why? He is unfit!"

"How dare you speak so!"

But Miach ran from the room. "A king mustn't act that way. He must act with kindness to his people." She sighed, looking at that fading crystal. She knew, out there, somewhere, Frederick was ruling kindly, king or not.

.

Frederick brought up the bucket from the well. "So our refugee camp isn't quite as we had hoped… so what?"

Chessa poured it into her pot. "As long as we're helping someone, it doesn't matter how many. We're here for those who need us. I guess we just aren't needed."

They let out a simultaneous sigh.

"Well, let's hurry back. We have to keep an eye out."

Chessa tried to lift the jar. "Darn. I might've filled it too much." She tried again, but felt the load lighten as a rough hand touched hers. Rough, but kind and warm. She looked up. Frederick was lifting the jar too. "Thanks," she said shyly, well aware of the blush on her cheeks.

He smiled back, equally red. "Let's go."

.

"Two Clavats?" Sophronia was more intrigued than appalled, which made Dhiren feel much better. "We were best of friends. And we met every day." He fiddled with the ring. "Until six years ago."

"Childhood friends, huh?"

"Nothing but."

"But your times you're explaining seem so fun!"

"Oh, they were. But it was still childish. Look at how the land is separated! That crystal, it's faded, I see it. It's not like it used to be."

"What's written there?" Sophronia pointed to the text, not letting her brother's despair take the conversation.

"Selkie text."

"Selkies too?"

.

Uday did not dare to shake the tambourine, not because of the noise it would make—he didn't care about the punishment—but because he did not want to hear the sound. He felt the ringing would shatter his heart even more. "Have they no compassion?" he whispered with a growl. "To kill an innocent young girl!" Tears began to run again, as every other night. "She did not even want to fight!"

His hatred for the Lilties grew into unbearable loathing. "Those stupid plants will pay for what they've done! For they must be plants, no soul, no hearts. Disgusting, distasteful… Onions!"

.

Once beloved friends, now despised enemies…


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Will this place even be a refuge for the others?" Frederick paced.

"I wish we could see them again. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Chessa's eyes sparkled.

Frederick stopped and turned, looking upon the hopeful girl. He smiled faintly. "Such hope in your eyes."

"Why not? It's better than despair!"

He came and sat next to her on the small bench beneath the crystal. "Do you think they'll come before the crystal fades completely?"

"No doubt."

He looked up at the great blue stone. It seemed to fade every second, making his smile fade as well. He sighed and lowered his head.

Chessa placed her soft hand on his. "No doubt." She repeated.

He looked at her solemn expression and forced a smile. He didn't want her to be so sad. He turned his hand so that hers was placed inside it.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "No doubt."

.

Miach gazed at herself in the glass, dressed beautifully in white, with a small veil. She looked through that veil. She sighed at how symbolic it was. Everything was symbolic to her these days. "I'd rather marry a toad," she squeezed her bouquet, "at least it will believe me to be something worthwhile." She smoothed out her dress. "He hasn't even once complimented me. Just insults. Terrible, down-grading insults." She sighed.

"Just think, my dear!" Her mother bounded in. "In a few moments you will be a princess!"

"Princess…" she whispered. No. She won't have any power. She won't have anything.

"Hurry now, darling. The ceremony will start soon!"

Miach watched her through the mirror as she left. "Hurry. I'll hurry alright." She ripped off the veil and dress, putting on her normal clothes. "I'll hurry home. Home, that's right." She looked out the window. "It's still there, and it seems to be shining still!" She smiled. That kind of symbolism she liked. She hopped out the window, landing hard but not stopping. "Hurry." She repeated.

.

"Dhiren! Why don't you show me the meeting place?" Sophronia pleaded. "It can't hurt!"

"That place is forgotten. It represents nothing but lost hope." He was solemn again.

"I don't think so." Sophronia insisted. "Look! I still say that crystal hasn't lost its shine, its beauty." She took his hand and pulled him outside.

"I say it's nothing but void darkness."

"But that book in your arms! And that ring in your hand! Let them show that there's still something left of your friends!" She kept pulling. "Come on! I've always wanted to see that magical land, anyway!"

Dhiren was reluctant, but he agreed that it wouldn't hurt to pay a visit to his old home. And she was right; the crystal did seem to sparkle as he started to approach it.

.

Uday slid out of the room, slowly, stealthily. He wrapped a cloth around his bleeding back, for he had just been whipped. He was caught trying to escape, and he was escaping again. He looked up, out to the land before him. There it was, the crystal. Who cares if he's caught? He's grown immune to the whip. He walked, as if in a trance, onward, to that shining blue light before him.

.

That shining crystal, the symbol of a friendship long lost…


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Six years… six long years had separated them. Now, once again, they made their way to the crystal, to their home, to their friendship. One fled from violence, from slavery. One ran from a bleak future. One just led a new one to what he once knew.

Frederick and Chessa were shocked to see them coming, from all angles. Their hopes had never been strong enough to believe that this could happen. The Clavats welcomed them all, even Sophronia. "I never doubted." Frederick said once they were seated. The others were silent.

"You guys doubted?" Chessa asked.

Uday, teeth clenched, tears rising, turned to Miach. "It was your father. I know it was him!" He grasped her by the collar. "He took my sister from me! He killed her!" Still he held that tambourine in his free hand.

"Uday, wait." Frederick put a hand on his shoulder.

He let the small girl go. Miach fell to the ground, terrified. "You could not understand! I have never seen so much blood…"

"We all lost something. I lost my kingdom."

Miach fidgeted. "To an unworthy prince."

"And we have our own stories to tell one another," Chessa added.

"But…" Frederick grinned. "First we have to complete our friendship."

"What do you mean?" all except Chessa wondered.

.

Uday could not believe his eyes. "This is a place of refuge," Frederick was saying. "We named it so. And not long after, she came."

Celerina embraced her bewildered brother. "I have been waiting to see you again, Uday!" There was a quiver in her voice.

"Celerina!" He held her tight, as if he didn't believe she was really there. "I thought… I thought…"

As he lowered his arms, the tambourine jingled, a beautiful sound for the friends.

"Together again!" Frederick clapped. "I say this calls for a celebration!"

And it was quite a celebration. Chessa's wind instrument, Uday's tambourine, Miach's and Celerina's dancing, Dhiren's and Sophronia's swaying, and Frederick's laughing was the most happiness they all had seen for quite awhile. They sang together, skipping around the crystal, in childish glee again.

"_Round the crystal, round we go_

_From the lands that we well know!_

_Circle till we meet once more_

_Home again and safe and sure!_"

"_Circle round and sing the song!_

_Let it ring out, far and long._

_Countries to the north and east_

_And south and west, we'll never cease!_"

"_Lilty, Yuke, and Clavats too_

_Plus Selkie twins, a joyous crew._

_We run 'round this crystal here_

_To show, though far, our homes are near!_"

The crystal stood, through all those years. A sign of friendship that, though bent and dull, though lost, lived on deep in the children's hearts. Their friendship would never die, though some doubted. After all, they believed in it enough to come together to the crystal's refuge.

.

The Yuke siblings soon journeyed to that small island and founded the town of Shella. The Selkies gave them a gift of the smaller green crystal that stood by their home, which they placed in the center of the town. The Lilty stayed there, as distant from her troubles as she could be.

The Clavats welcomed the Selkies back into their villages, promising forever a safe home to them, whenever needed. The friends always made it a point to meet at the large crystal, though. They would tell their tales to the generations after, showing them that true friendship will always last through even the most violent of wars.

.

And generations later, Shella would become prosperous, the Selkies would migrate from their unsafe homes to Leuda, the Lilty empire would end, and Miasma would cover the land. But that was long past the lives of these children and their friendship that stood strong.

.

And the crystal shone on…


End file.
